ruin

go to wrack and ruin

To fall into severe or total decay, degradation, or ruination, as from disuse or lack of upkeep. ("Wrack," a now-archaic word meaning wreckage or destruction, is also often spelled "rack.") It greatly pains me that my grandfather's estate has been left to go to wrack and ruin. If only we'd been able to afford for someone to look after it all these years.The neighbor's property has really gone to wrack and ruin lately. I'm thinking about filing a complaint with the neighborhood association!

go to rack and ruin

To fall into severe or total decay, degradation, or ruination, as from disuse or lack of upkeep. ("Rack" here is a variant spelling of "wrack," a now-archaic word meaning wreckage or destruction.) It greatly pains me that my grandfather's estate has been left to go to rack and ruin. If only we'd been able to afford for someone to look after it for all these years.The neighbor's property has really gone to rack and ruin lately. I'm thinking about filing a complaint with the neighborhood association!

wrack and ruin

Utter destruction or ruination; severe or total decay or degradation, as from disuse or lack of upkeep. ("Wrack," a now-archaic word meaning wreckage or destruction, is also often spelled "rack.") Used especially in the phrase "go to wrack and ruin." The wrack and ruin of my grandfather's estate pains me greatly. If only we'd been able to afford for someone to look after it for all these years.The neighbor's property has really gone to wrack and ruin lately. I'm thinking about filing a complaint with the neighborhood association!

rack and ruin

Utter destruction or ruination; severe or total decay or degradation, as from disuse or lack of upkeep. ("Rack" here is a variant spelling of "wrack," a now-archaic word meaning wreckage or destruction.) Used especially in the phrase "go to rack and ruin." The rack and ruin of my grandfather's estate pains me greatly. If only we'd been able to afford for someone to look after it for all these years.The neighbor's property has really gone to rack and ruin lately. I'm thinking about filing a complaint with the neighborhood association!

go to rack and ruin

and go to wrack and ruin

to become ruined. (The words rack and wrack mean "wreckage" and are found only in this expression.) That lovely old house on the corner is going to go to rack and ruin.My lawn is going to wrack and ruin.

wrack and ruin

rack and ruin, go to

Also, go to wrack and ruin. Become decayed, decline or fall apart, as in After the founder's death the business went to rack and ruin. These expressions are emphatic redundancies, since rack and wrack (which are actually variants of the same word) mean "destruction" or "ruin." [Mid-1500s]

go to rack and ruin

If something goes to rack and ruin, it gets into a very bad state, because nobody looks after it or deals properly with it. This beautiful building was left to go to rack and ruin.The country is going to rack and ruin under this government. Note: You can also say that something falls into rack and ruinDuring these years, historical monuments were allowed to fall into rack and ruin. Note: The expression rack and ruin can also be used without these verbs. According to Michael, the whole country's heading for rack and ruin. Note: Less commonly, this expression is spelt wrack and ruin. A once magnificent country house has now fallen into wrack and ruin. Note: `Wrack' means the same as `wreck', something that has been destroyed.

If thieves are going to come to Newcastle and steal from people, possibly ruining their Christmas, then we'll ruin theirs to protect the vast majority of law abiding citizens by ensuring they aren't allowed back into the area at any time of day or night.

They begin spewing nonsense about "parity" and how it is ruining the game; the "sameness" of our offenses and defenses and how it is ruining the game; and the "decline" of shooting skills and how it is ruining the game.

After losing thousands of dollars per shipment, Traditional Hardwood started packing the wood in porous bags filled with silica gel, lining the container tops and bottoms with the bags, hoping to stop the salty moisture from seeping inside and ruining the cargo.

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.